“Indeed,” she replied, and then stepped to the side. She swept her hand to her five sons, the shattered soul that had ultimately conquered Draeken. “I present your champions, the five warriors of Lumineia.”
The cheers were deafening, the sound reverberating off the stone walls of Azertorn. Elenyr’s smile was as bright as her sons, and she gazed upon them in pride. She never imagined when she’d taken charge of the fragments that it would lead to this, but watching her sons stand with pride before the people they had served and protected filled her with joy. This was her family. This and Lumineia.
She noticed Belrisa’s eyes upon her. The dangerous dakorian bore a curious expression, and Elenyr realized the woman recognized that Lumineia was an oasis, one still under threat by the Krey Empire. In that moment Elenyr understood why Belrisa had chosen to help in the fight against Draeken. Lumineia possessed the one weapon that could topple the Empire, and if Lumineia survived, it gave her hope.
Belrisa caught her gaze and nodded, and Elenyr nodded in turn. Then she faced forward and smiled, her thoughts turning to the future. She’d protected Lumineia before, but she sensed her time among the people had come to an end. It was time to prepare for the conflict with the krey.
It was time to join the Eternals.
Epilogue: Master and Servant
Zoric limped his way down the stairs of Xshaltheria, wincing as his twisted leg came in contact with each step. He cursed the fragments and the Hauntress. They had destroyed everything, and now only he remained.
He’d been hurt in the battle at Xshaltheria, and woken in one of the healing tents. The soldier that had found him had thought him a member of the guard, and had tried to heal his wounds. But the gash to his leg had gone too deep, and it had taken him months before he could walk, months where he’d languished in healing halls, manipulating the memories of all those he encountered.
When he was finally able to walk, he’d worked his way east, passing the many caravans threading their way to Azertorn. Their excitement elicited anger, but Zoric held the emotion in check. Alone, he was vulnerable, and his foes would not hesitate to kill him.
He’d searched the breadth of Blackwell Keep and now Xshaltheria, driven by a desperate hope that he would find Serak or Draeken. The Father of Guardians had disappeared, and Draeken had Gated out of the battle, never to be seen again. It was a fool’s hope, but his only hope.
He reached the base of the fortress and leaned against the wall to survey the pockmarked platform at the base of the hanging citadel. Then he noticed the shimmering chains on the wall and his eyes widened.
“Master?”
An ethereal body gradually took shape, and Draeken appeared. He growled, his features fading and then returning. He looked to Zoric with burning eyes, and Zoric wiped furiously at the tears on his cheeks.
“Master,” Zoric said, dropping to his knees, “I thought you were dead.”
“They cannot kill me,” Draeken snarled, but the sound seemed distant.
“Tell me what I can do and I will free you,” Zoric said.
“I am not on Lumineia or the Dark World,” Draeken said. “They trapped me here, where only time can touch.”
“Tell me how—”
“I CANNOT BE FREED!” Draeken’s body shimmered to solidity, and then faded again, bits of silver and purple floating through his flesh.
“You live,” Zoric protested. “Surely there is a way we can return to power.”
“I have become the Dark Gate now.” Draeken’s voice was suddenly bitter. “I control a broken Gate, and it has become my prison.”
Draeken began to fade from sight, his features twisted in anger, and Zoric surged to his feet, his desperation leaking into his voice.
“The world of Lumineia celebrates your defeat,” Zoric shouted. “Give me time, and I will find a way for us to have our revenge.”
“Time,” Draeken gradually appeared, and then his eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you can be of use. I am bound to the Dark Gate, but that does not mean it cannot be repaired. Go to Blackwell Keep, and learn what you can of my plans there. Repair the Gate and I will reward you with accolades and gold, positions and power.”
Zoric bared his teeth in a grim smile. “I would settle for the death of the fragments, and the Hauntress.”
“That I would gladly give,” Draeken said. “I grow weak, but the Dragon’s Sleep will help you survive through time. Prepare the way, my servant, for one day my four generals will again walk this land, and then the people will learn to fear what rises from obscurity. My return will be my victory, and the end of Lumineia.”
The Chronicles of Lumineia
By Ben Hale
—The Shattered Soul—
The Fragment of Power
